Hide and Seek
by Nusaka
Summary: In this game there is only one rule, hide as long as you can without getting caught. It’s a game Hinata and the friends helping her must play in order to find the currently missing Hanabi. [Ready or not here they come] Hinata centric
1. prologue

prologue

Hanabi looked out her window and into the pale face of the moon, full and glorious in its pearly wholesomeness to think properly. One of her friends; boastful and arrogant Konohamaru spoke to her today, along with his two groupies (as she called them), about a very pressing issue – a very interesting one at that.

"_Kids go missing there!"_

"_I hear that a bunch of serial killers banded together and terrorized the place till everyone left."_

"_You know what my daddy said about it? It's haunted by all these creepy dead soldiers." _

"…_It's none of that. Demons live in that city." Two heads snapped to the voice while Hanabi lifted her face from her thick hardcover book in interest. Her brows rose as an unspoken statement of her intrigue before she deftly marked her place with a bookmark and closed the heavy text. _

"_K-Konohamaru?" Moegi started nervously, inching towards the boy whom she admired. Udon sniffed and stared at his best friend. _

_He didn't smirk but there was a veil of dark mirth and anticipation in his eyes; like some sort of dolled up glaze, "But you were right, Moegi. Kids do disappear and they're never found again. But," he said, holding a pause for effect and Hanabi found herself unconsciously leaning closer from her curled up place on one of the large red cushioned chair. "It isn't inhabited by ghosts or serial killers," he said the theories as though they were not only improbable but impossible. _

_Hanabi scowled, "An old wives' tale Konohamaru? Really."_

_Konohamaru met her gaze challengingly, "Don't believe me?" _

_Hanabi scoffed proudly and upturned her nose snobbishly at the boy, "Of course I don't. Only an idiot believes that demons actually exist." _

"_You're just scared aren't you Hyuuga?" Konohamaru knew where to pick at people and Hanabi's sore spot was her pride. _

_As expected the genius of nine frowned delicately, "There's no logical reason to be frightened of something that clearly is nonexistent." _

_Konohamaru's lips tugged, curling hesitantly, "Then there's no reason why you won't go with us tonight, right?" _

"_What?!" Moegi squawked, affronted by the mere mention of going into the abandoned city. "There's no way a beautiful girl such as myself could even go near there!"_

_Udon shook his head and stammered nonsensically before actually talking, "Konohamaru, y-you just said that it was inhabited by d-demons!" he hissed, frightened already. _

_Hanabi's frown deepened at the two's insecurities and idiocy, "The both of you," she snapped haughtily, the leader's streak within her rearing its cruelly protective head, "Shut your traps. There are no such things as demons or ghosts and it's stupid to even believe that serial killers would band together. They'd kill each other off." _

_Konohamaru, undeterred and ruthlessly went on despite Hanabi's vehement jabs, "Then come with us and prove me wrong. Come to the city with us tonight at midnight." _

_Hanabi stared at him, "Are you mad? That's way past curfew"-_

"_Does that really matter or do you wanna call it quits against me, Hyuuga?" Hanabi slid easily from her gaping to her usual glaring. Konohamaru's eyes, narrowed in triumph, his wiseass smirk and the pose he struck. _

_Her lips tightened and Hanabi knew that this wasn't just her pride on the line; it was the pride of a respectable Hyuuga. "Midnight then. Is there any special tradition we must uphold during our stay in the city?" she hissed, angry as a rattlesnake disturbed. _

_Konohamaru grinned, "Just a mask." _

_Hanabi nodded and looked over at Moegi and Udon, "You two heard us didn't you? We're all going into the city by midnight." Udon whimpered pathetically and Moegi bit her lip, uncertain. _

"_H-Hanabi?" a simpering voice questioned, she turned to Udon and saw that his fingers were poking together. Unconsciously, her intense glare softened quite a bit as did her tense stature. _

"_What is it Udon?" _

"_D-Do we really h-have to go?" _

_Hanabi nodded once. "Yes, we do."_

Hanabi turned towards her digital alarm clock, the green numbers glowing despite the dim light of her single book lamp in her room. Turning her head she looked straight at the form of her white and black cat mask, as though egging her on hauntingly seeing as its empty eye holes were staring at her.

Staring back at it, she snapped and whisked it up, wearing it on her own face and tying the thick cords before her head securely. She turned to the open window and began shimmying down the side of her house, careful not to make much noise and to make it to the shoe rack where her tennis shoes would be kept.

When she got her shoes and busied herself with tying them, she took in a liberating breath and ran across her green lawn, no one in her house noticing the girl in the moonlight taking off at a startling pace beneath the moon.

-

XP Yes, I am alive. For those who are familiar with Kakurenbo or Hide and Seek, this is fic is based on that movie and for those who haven't watched it. Do so. It's a horror thriller mixed with superstition and it's truly spectacular and oh so short. Watch it on youtube, dailymotion or maybe veoh has it now. :D Hope you liked the introduction, and chapter one is next chapter. Tell me what you liked, didn't like, and feel free to ask any questions. Have a nice day folks.

Chapter One: It's just a game

-


	2. It's just a game!

It's just a game!

(_What sort of game is this?_)

Three days. Three days had passed since Hanabi's disappearance and while Hiashi Hyuuga, Hanabi's father had gone to the police to report his youngest daughter missing, when the police got wind of where she probably went missing it was an instant cold case; a sort of 'well crap we tried but we can't do anything else about so sorry for you loss now have a nice day okay folks?'

Hiashi looked loathing in the face and gave it a new name when he heard that the police weren't going to do a search on it and Hinata waited for her father to explode into a million fiery pieces like the death of a giant star after it imploded only to explode from the sheer force. Like an angry captive lion he paced the floors of his house, barely slept and ate on occasion. But any more effort than bitching at the police over the phone or being a silent sort of anger he did nothing, as though he knew why this was and she couldn't comprehend it.

Hinata couldn't understand why he could understand that the police weren't going to search some city they said she was probably missing at. On the third day of her missing sister's absence at breakfast, Hinata stared at the empty seat across from her own. Hinata chewed her food slowly, biting into the roasted fish while slowly thinking of whys.

Contemplating the disturbing fact that her little sister of nine was missing and so were three of her friends was not nearly as off scale as the fact that the police were content to sit on their asses and wait for them to come out. Come out of the 'Abandoned City' as they all referred to it as though it was a taboo.

Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. Hinata couldn't care less because all she needed to do was find her little sister. If they weren't going to find her, if her father wasn't going to call some sort of military search brigade, Hinata figured sending herself was the best bet her sister had of coming home.

With that lasting, final thought of sisterly over-protectiveness and panic she swallowed the last bit of her fish and gulped her rice down, chasing it with orange juice. Collecting her dishes and putting them in the sink for her to wash later, she gripped her book bag in one hand and opened the door to a sunny day.

Dressed in her school customary white blouse and dark blue skirt to her knees, book bag over one shoulder she stood in the doorway, exiting her house but with a long pause. She stared emptily at the shoe rack where her sister's favorite pair of tennis shoes would have been and by all rights, had she been a more watchful big sister and the police not so vile and her father not so understanding and sympathizing with the police department, should have been. A pair of her little sister's sandals and leisure shoes remained.

Hinata blinked away a swarm of tears that made her vision blurry before wriggling into her own pair of loafers. She turned from the shoe rack forcefully and walked down the little paved way from her front door to the sidewalk.

Hanabi had vanished like a ghost and so Hinata had gone through her room to see if she took anything, she found that the special cat mask she'd made for Hanabi in art class was also gone, but that was all. Hinata only knew that her sister and her three best friends had vanished, gone for so long, and all that she took with her on this mysterious voyage was a pair of good running shoes and a mask to some Abandoned City she wasn't allowed to ask anyone about.

Walking faster, she tried to focus on what this Abandoned City business was all about and why no one was helping her little sister.

She had to blink more tears away when she realized that she was already at the front of her school, having practically jogged here in her frustration.

∞∞∞

For some strange reason, maybe a belated epiphany of some sort during Asuma's History class, while Hinata realized that she would have to brave this Abandoned City, that of which she knew nothing of, she also made some sort of jumbled up really screwed over conclusion that she was going to have to ask her friends, maybe that they would know something of this Abandoned City since she'd never heard of it before yesterday and when she was still relying on the police until they'd called last night to inform her that her sister's case was officially as cold as the Arctic pole.

Well, she knew where her sister had vanished – at least the name of it and she wasn't going to depend on the police department to help.

Hinata bit her lip and her hands went to her neck to caress a thick black leather cord holding a pale moonstone. Her sister had made that for her, in exchange for Hinata having made the mask for her; Hanabi had put numerous talents of hers together to create a necklace for her big sister.

She'd ask Sakura and Ino to help her, maybe brave the waters and try to ask Naruto and his friends to help her search for Hanabi. Her hand clenched the moonstone between her fingers while with her other hand she copied down what Asuma wrote on the board, talking rather mumbling with the unlit cigarette between his lips.

This Abandoned City seemed to have had a lot of kids disappear within it and never come out and Hinata wondered if they simply got lost in a maze within it, or maybe there were just a lot of children snatchers there. When her father had heard from the police who had questioned a few of Hanabi's classmates as to where they might be, all of them replied the same thing; the Abandoned City, he became pale. Pale and almost sickly, and Hinata swore she saw the beginning of tears border on the rims of his eyes before he turned away.

When Hinata had badgered him about telling her what the Abandoned City was, he'd snapped, "It's bad enough your sister knew what it was and is now missing!"

Hinata had been taken aback. She had not been aware of how bad this Abandoned City may be but after the first day of Hanabi missing, her father seemed to have grown five years older with his red eyes and dark, dark bags beneath his eyes from worry and insomnia.

She'd tried to comfort with the knowledge that it was only the second day Hanabi was missing, the police would go into the city and bring her back safe and sound. They'd bring her back home.

A sharp cruel bark of laughter erupted from her father's throat when she had said that and he locked himself in his study with a bottle of sake.

That very day two policemen came to her house and apologized for about fifteen minutes or so a dread overcame Hinata – they'd found her sister but she was not alive. When she finally listened to what they were apologizing about instead of sitting there like a stone to numbly listen to them speak her fears aloud, dread was overcome by righteous anger and disappointment.

They were sorry to say that they weren't going into that city. They were sorry for her loss. They were sorry that they couldn't do more than offer their sincere condolences. When she asked why, they were then sorry that they couldn't tell her why they couldn't go after her missing sister.

Hinata felt all the hospitality and nearly her cool calm drain from her when she'd stood and ordered them to leave now and no, they could not see her sickly father. They left and closed the door gently, one of the looked back into the small crack left before the door was shut completely with a look of pure and simple pity. They left in their car and Hinata was still standing where they'd left her.

She'd crumpled down like a house of cards and cried while she sat awkwardly on her knees.

Her hand wrapped around the moonstone and her thumb brushed the cords that held it on to her necklace. Thoughts of guilt, anger and frustration at not fully understanding the full concept revolving around her missing sister whose case had been so easily dismissed swarmed around her head and clouded up her thoughts in a jungle of confusion.

This morning she decided that the saying was right – you want something done right you have to do it yourself.

Recruiting the help of friends who were worried about Hanabi's disappearance would heighten Hanabi's chance of being found and the quicker she was found, the least likely the harm would be done. What worried Hinata the most was that not only had her sister vanished into thin air one night, but three of her friends were gone as well and still nothing was being done. It was…upsetting.

Abandoned City…Hinata's writing slowed and her brow creased. Why was it abandoned in the first place?

∞∞∞

There was silence in the classroom. Nine of the teenagers there sat in a semicircle in the classroom after school had ended, with Hinata standing off to the side a bit, looking to each of them.

It was broken by a hesitant voice, "What did you say Hinata?"

"Hanabi…you all know she's missing. Well, the police say she's in the Abandoned City and they aren't going to go in to find her. They're going to leave my little sister." Her fingers prodded together in an old habit. "So I was wondering if any of you would help me find her."

More silence before a calm, usually annoyed voice spoke out, "Hinata do you even know what the Abandoned City is?"

Turning she looked at Shikamaru who was lazing in one chair with his back against the desk, one leg over the back of the chair. "No, no one would tell me what it was."

The hairs on the back of her neck and on her arms rose in response to the stifling tension that suddenly filled the room. Confused Hinata turned to her other friends who either stared at her in disbelief or looked away. "Hinata," there was a pause in Shikamaru's voice. "No one told you about the Abandoned City?"

She shook her head a negative and she was choking on the stillness and eerie quiet of the room.

"The Abandoned City," Hinata started at the new voice, deep and male and turned to face Sasuke Uchiha – not really her friend but Naruto's best friend who had come along by force via the excited blonde. "Is a place where kids disappear all the time. Adults don't really like to go in detail but my big brother, Itachi told me why. He told me that it's a city of demons."

There was more of the stifling silence and Hinata wondered if they were all in on some cruel joke despite her dire situation.

"It's called the Abandoned City because sometime in the 40's during Pearl Harbor a lot of the neighborhood kids just started vanishing during the night. It was nothing new because every once in a while kids would disappear like that, but because of a new curfew that had been enacted on the city, more of them starting disappearing all at once. They don't vanish in the day, it always has to be night but the new curfew also prevented that." Sasuke paused and looked over at Shikamaru who sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Thing is Hinata, the demons only come out at night – never in the day and never come out of their city. When that curfew had been enacted the demons had realized it and before everyone knew it, one night, the entire city was just…gone. Everyone in the city was gone and a few military brigades were sent in but they couldn't open the front gates of the city no matter what they did. No one ever leaves the city."

_How can an entire city just vanish?_

Hinata stared at Shikamaru and before she could open her mouth Sakura input gently, "Hinata, we're not joking, this is serious but you have to know that this city is not _natural _in anyway and it never was."

Sakura's sincere and soothing voice chilled Hinata's bones. "But…this is…but demons don't exist!" she said vehemently denying their words.

"Hinata, your sister and her friends probably heard about the Abandoned City when a group of girls from Chiba went in there and didn't come back. It was in the papers and it was the first time in a very long time that anyone went into the city. That's probably why." Ino added in, periwinkle eyes gazing at her friend piteously.

Hinata nodded a little, remembering that the disappearance of eight high school girls had occurred about two weeks ago but she hadn't actually looked as to where they'd vanished from.

"So…she's just…gone then."

No one spoke because it was either obvious or they just didn't have the heart to tell her outright.

Hinata bit her lip and turned to Sasuke suddenly, he having spoken first, "W-Where is the city?"

Black sky eyes stared at her silently, "It's on the edge of Tokyo outside of the rural areas."

"People who go in there…do…do they need anything?" Hinata didn't need to look at anyone to know there was horror on their face.

"Sasuke you bastard! Shut up!" Naruto snarled at his black haired best friend, his other best friend looking between Sasuke and Hinata blankly.

"A mask and a flashlight."

"Sasuke!"

Hinata noted the flashlight but questioned the need for a mask of all things. "Itachi told me that the front gates of the city won't open unless you're wearing a mask."

She nodded and looked at the rest of them, Sakura who went on hurriedly, "Hinata please just let the police deal with it it's so dangerous"-

"The police already announced that their cases were officially cold. They're not going to go after them."

Silence and Hinata looked at the clock, already having an hour lapsed afterschool when they'd all met.

"Hyuuga," she looked over at Sasuke who had his hands folded, chin resting on his knuckles, "You can't go there in the afternoon. It has to be at midnight. The gates won't open otherwise. Don't take anything bigger than a knife with you either or the gate won't open." His voice was in complete seriousness and she gazed back at him with something akin to gratitude.

He went on with cryptic words, "Those are the only rules."

_Only rules in a city of demons? Sounds like the rules to some sort of demented children's game. _

Naruto snarled at Sasuke again, standing up and began lecturing him but Hinata tuned him out, withdrawing into her own thoughts.

She bit her lip and patted her book bag to make sure she had her wallet. Hefting it over her shoulder she opened the door and mumbled quietly, "I'm going to go."

"Hinata! Where are you going!?"

Hinata looked over her shoulder at Naruto's yell, "To buy a working flashlight."

The door clicked shut and her footsteps bounced off the walls of the empty hall.

∞∞∞

Hinata went home without consequence and she heard her father tinkering within his study, once in a while she'd hear the clink of the sake bottle or a dry rasp that made her chest tighten. Hours after she'd arrived home and listened in on her father's study, she sat on her futon dully.

A pale white face stared up at her almost sorrowfully; beneath a rather wide nose lay parted red painted lips and gold teeth showing. Downcast, narrowed eyes stared at her while she stared back at the woman's face. After buying a flashlight, she rummaged around in the attic for a mask they'd surely have and she found an array of different Noh masks. Fox maxes, fierce gods, demons, old men and as she looked she found one that suited.

A Deigan mask had caught her eyes with one of its own empty carved out black pupils large enough for her eyes boring a hole into her.

Hinata cradled it gently in her hands, thumb brushing over the smooth cheeks of the mask and staring into the stricken, devoted, sorrowed expression of her chosen mask.

Hinata turned her head in the direction of her clock, red numbers reading the time to be 11:00 – the hour of her departure from her home. The stretchy band pasted on the back of the mask was over her head and the mask set securely on it, the feel of the cool moonstone against her skin and it made her think of Hanabi rolling her eyes at her big sister when she gave it to her. The flashlight was at her side and Hinata opened her window, feeling a chill overcome the back of her neck, in her blood, bones and heart.

She vaguely realized that she was going into a lion's den, going to a city of demons to look for her sister and her friends. She didn't want to. A numb icy hand clenched her heart and Hinata knew that she couldn't stay here either.

She flung herself out and clung to the side of the house to slide down gently.

Hinata went to the shoe rack to pull out a pair of her tennis shoes and she slipped them on with hesitation in her movements. She looked up at her house, only the light within her father's study on. Hinata turned her back on the house, promising that she would return with her sister even if there was doubt and a moment where her nose caught scent of her own tears.

A city of demons awaited her. There was no time for false bravado or hesitation. Hinata felt around in her pants pocket to feel her small switchblade with its serrated edge.

_A mask, a flashlight and a knife; rules of the Abandoned City – it sounds like the rules for a secret game_.

Hinata looked up at the pale moon once and with one hand groped for the moonstone for some sort of solace. Hanabi and her friends probably never took anything but their masks; they didn't even know all the rules and still may be there. Hinata refused to say the word dead when pertaining to any of them.

She began to run, feeling her legs stretch over grass, concrete and over bushes. To the rural areas outside of Tokyo, past the cracked and crumbling sidewalks, several shattered windows on old houses, dirty sides of tall apartment buildings, ducking from lurkers in the dark, going past walls splattered with graffiti.

She stopped and breathed heavily from running for so long, seeing a change in the rural area, no graffiti, no lights save one streetlight and go back warning sign hung by a string.

The Abandoned City was before her very eyes, blinking away the sweat from behind her Deigan mask. The city of demons was like a ghost town, not a peep or any sort of light save for the dying streetlamp at her right. Sakura was right, Hinata decided, this place didn't feel natural or right, much less anywhere near safe.

Maybe it was better before, but now it was a dangerous, living smorgasbord because Hinata could tell by looking at it that it would be like a maze of old apartments, houses, stores and faded street signs.

Hinata swallowed and walked to it, stumbling over rocks and debris.

Silence and the cool night air felt stale here.

Hinata briefly wondered if that was from death or from the lack of residents.

Worming her way through, she had to get to some sort of front gate as Sasuke had said, unfortunately those who probably knew where this gate were, were, well missing. Past faded street signs, flickering red lamps hung above her casting an eerie glow. The wind blew past her when she went past an old butcher shop that smelled of rats and mold.

Houses dilapidated and roofs caved in were blurs of washed out colors and filth.

Hinata stopped and looked to her left down a corridor which wasn't an alley because there was some sort of courtyard (the city's square even?) with a faded orange glow over it.

Hinata walked down it, and stepped over rats that squealed and perhaps even wheeled around to bite her ankles.

The orange glow was a pair of working streetlamps that weren't flickering and there was a semicircle of nine kids with masks and flashlights. Hinata felt her heart burst.

"You…you guys?" she whispered, drawing closer to all of them and they turned simultaneously.

Each of them were wearing numerous masks, Sakura and Ino sporting golden fox masks and Hinata was positive that they'd been bickering about copying the other before she'd arrived. The girl also spotted Naruto sitting between Gaara, his redheaded best friend and Sasuke, the guy who told her about the Abandoned City. Naruto wore a grinning orangey fox mask as well, with wide eyes and well painted detail for fur.

Shikamaru and Chouji wore the same mask, a Tenko mask depicting a pale face fox with a crinkled brow and an almost angered expression with its frowning mouth. Kiba and Shino similarly wore twin masks, only differing from their golden toothed grinning and gold horned demon faces in color – red faced for Kiba and a minty green for Shino.

Sasuke's mask was crimson with outlines of gold, a short snouted beastly dragon with long horns and donkey ears, twin canines painted gold rising from the back of the mouth and out menacingly. The redhead known as Gaara, usually silent and unassuming wore the mask of a dark brown almost black face of a bored tanuki with large ears upright.

Hinata stood there and she must have been standing there for a while because Naruto called out uneasily, "Hey Hinata…we're…we're all here to help." His voice was nervous and high strung – almost painful sounding.

Sakura waved slightly while Ino waved her arms about excitedly before the two began bickering after silently greeting her. Shikamaru lazily lifted his arm while Chouji slipped barbeque chips into his muzzle and crunched on them. Sasuke merely looked at her for a moment longer before turning away to the giant wooden doors with a pair of stone soldier's horses on either side guarding it stubbornly. Gaara looked to her and looked to Naruto, probably said something to the boy because his shoulders drooped and then to the doors.

Hinata walked to them and sat down next to Sakura who was beside Naruto, wondering when midnight would arrive. She clenched the flashlight and wondered if Hanabi had known what time the doors would open. "Shouldn't…we open the doors?"

Sakura shook her head since her verbal battle with Ino was over, "No. They're too heavy and besides, the demons will open them." Sakura unconsciously squirmed when she mentioned the demons.

It was sudden, like the boom of thunder or the angered grumble of a lion, a gong sounded out through the clearing and Hinata tensed, swinging around to look for the sound but Naruto touched her shoulder to point dumbly behind them.

The doors shook, massive and heavy though they were, as though they were being manhandled from the other side – making a terrible creaking sound. They stopped moving just as suddenly as they'd started before a drawn out creak alerted that the doors were opening, slowly.

They swung open as if time had slowed itself, dust and debris billowed up like staged smoke and on the other side; an eerie and strange red glow was cast over it. Strong red lamps, cast their almost evil gaze upon them while the children got up slowly making their way to the other side for the sake of other children of whom no one else would brave after.

They stopped as one, afraid, uneasy, disbelieving and hesitant.

Gaara who bore the face of the tanuki moved first followed by Sasuke and Naruto. Sakura and Ino moved after Sasuke in which Hinata timidly followed, hands wringing themselves. Shikamaru and Chouji strolled after them with Kiba and Shino at their heels.

Their shoes crunched over gravel, crinkled concrete since they didn't speak to one another.

They entered, eyes of the red lamps on them and lighting their way to the true Abandoned City, the city where the demons were and where the entire populace of humans vanished.

A sudden bang interrupted their walk and they turned to the sound to find that the doors had shut, a smooth log locking it soundly in place as a barricade.

Hinata turned back from it to look up at a purple neon sign that read straight ahead in kanji. She frowned and looked ahead to see a desolate street without light and only a slight glow from where the red lamps were stringed above them from the entrance yard.

Straight ahead. _Straight ahead to Hanabi_? Did she read these signs and follow them too?

"Straight ahead," Hinata murmured while Naruto and the others spoke lowly amongst themselves and decided to go off in pairs or small groups since they would cover more ground that way.

"Hinata, why don't ya come with me and Gaara, okay?" Naruto's voice called to her and she nodded absently.

Hinata squinted and saw a dark shadow in the pale darkness of the street farther down and couldn't withhold a small gasp. "City of demons," a voice spoke near her and she turned to see only a shoulder so turned her neck up farther to look at the redhead bearing the tanuki face. The visible grey green eye in one of the eye holes of the mask looked to her without turning his head, "You saw it too." It wasn't a question.

Hinata nodded before looking over at the others, groups having been decided; Kiba with Sino, Shikamaru and Chouji, Sasuke, Sakura and Ino and Gaara, Naruto and herself. "Okay, if anyone needs help – scream as loud as you can because one of us will probably be near you." Sakura spoke in some worried tone.

Kiba and Shino departed, Shikamaru and Chouji went into the distance to their left; all sorts of different neon signs were around them, green, red, white, and purple and would go different ways.

Hinata was left with Gaara and Naruto. Naruto turned to Hinata and gave her a pat on her back, trying to comfort her, "We'll find them."

Hinata nodded hesitantly before adding, "I know."

Gaara looked at them briefly before walking ahead, "Augh, Gaara wait for two damn seconds before running off!" Naruto shook his fist at the redhead who didn't even dignify it enough to look back. Hinata chuckled lightly at their antics. Before following the blonde and walking alongside of the two.

Gaara spoke without turning to her, "It started out as a daredevil kids' game in the 20's, like hide and seek. Hide from the demons and the last one won." Naruto was silent.

"Won what?"

Gaara looked narrowly at her, "If anyone knew they wouldn't be here."

Hinata was silent, "How could they think of it as a game?"

"It was spread as a game. The rules were laid out like a game. Just like how Uchiha told you – the rules of a dangerous game. They accepted it as an exciting game with add-ins of demons in the night."

Hinata bit her lip, "But…it doesn't make any sense."

"It makes as much sense as fight clubs, extreme biking or snowboarding." Gaara retorted.

Hinata fell silent and realized that it was the same as all of those to a certain mortifying degree. It was all a game. _Did you think it was a game too Hanabi?_

Abandoned City, city of demons, city of missing children who played a thrilling and dangerous game. Hide and seek.

_Hide and seek indeed_. Hinata saw a shadow, huge and looming dance on a faraway wall. Fear dug a cavity in her chest. Her fists clenched and one trembling hand went to her serrated switchblade shakily.

_Ready or not, here they come_.

-

I actually didn't think I'd get any reviews for such a vague and rather crappy prologue, so huzzah! And I've made up my mind – no pairings just friendship and general weirdness, sorry but it's easier this way. It won't be the exact same as Kakurenbo, the main idea is based from the movie. I also hope the pace is okay, I don't want to be dragging it or rushing it.

_SilentAbyss_, I really wouldn't say famous gaahina story because I don't think I'm that great, but thank you anyway! My head is currently three sizes larger than it should be. XD

_SadDarkWhispers_, I'm glad that you're that I'm alive. I am too. XD Also thank you for the compliment:D

_Taixonay_, I know right!? One of the best ones out there besides Jin-Roh, Perfect Blue, Akira and Princess Mononoke (my list of faves XD) Thanks for liking my prologue, despite its…lack of…writing…_stuff_….

Mask facts:

Hinata - Deigan mask is actually the face of a woman persistently devoted to one she loves, or it can also be interpreted as a wise middle aged woman.

Sakura and Ino – Kinko golden fox mask, a fox god that was said to bring fortune and good luck.

Naruto – Kyogen fox mask, a grinning fox mask with an open mouth.

Sasuke – Raijin mask, the thunder god red dragon mask whom creates thunder bolts and is a one pair god with Fujin.

Gaara – Tanuki mask, a raccoon dog with a thoughtful or even bored expression on its face usually.

Shikamaru and Chouji – Tenko mask, otherwise known as the heaven fox and it said to bring good harvest and has supernatural powers.

Kiba and Shino – Kodomo-oni mask, aka the child-demon mask and I think it speaks for itself. XD


	3. It's time to start running!

It's time to start running!

(_How fast can you run?!_)

At every corner they turned, Hinata felt her heart palpate a little, jumping like a jackrabbit in her ribs. She kept close between Naruto and Gaara. Gaara remained barely moved when a shadow slinked by, or when the lights flickered but Naruto would tightly grip an aluminum bat he'd found at the edge of a rundown toy story. Hinata for her part would shudder and make her body as small as possible.

She would wonder though, when red lantern lights flickered ominously above them, if Hanabi had been this scared with her friends.

Gaara, to her left, suddenly stopped and he turned his head to the side of them. Naruto had also stopped suddenly, but yanked the collar of her shirt when she had continued walking, not noticing that they had stopped. Hinata watched as the redhead bent to pick up a metal pipe off the ground and grip it.

She couldn't see their facial expressions. A raccoon and a fox looked off to their sides silently, gripping their weapons with a vice grip. "N-Naruto…?" Hinata was afraid to say anything else.

Naruto's shoulders were tensed, bunched up as though he was ready to pounce on something. "Hinata…by the time I count to five, we need to run." His jaw continued moving even after he had stopped talking. He was grinding his teeth fiercely.

"Too long. They'll catch us by then." Gaara said, head still turned from them. There was silence. "Go!"

Naruto moved and caught Hinata by her wrist and dragged her to match their speed with Gaara's. He let go of her wrist when he was sure she could keep up. Hinata kept her pace with the boys'. Behind them, what sounded like claws scratched at the brick wall and a soft bellowing groan made a shiver run down her spine. Hinata stumbled when the earth shifted beneath them.

Another bellowing groan came out from behind them. Hinata felt her heart fly in her ribcage like a panicking bird in a birdcage. She could hear them now, the rhythmic pad of footsteps. Without shoes though, something animal, _beastly_, flesh struck the pavement beneath them and shook the ground with tremors. She could hear it huffing and puffing, so loud that it seemed to be _right behind her_.

Curiosity forced her to turn her head.

Her heart hit her ribcage and like a bird, fell and stopped moving. Bright red, so bright that it hurt to look directly at it, eyes glared back at her. They were as large as her hands. They were so bright. Bright as the lanterns that now flickered unfaithfully. The streetlamps flicked off and only the bloodlike glow of the festive lanterns was upon them.

Somehow, it had gained more ground than she thought possible. The eyes seemed to be getting larger; Hinata still couldn't see the phantom body it hid in the darkness that it brought with it, as all the lanterns fell to the ground from their strings when it got too close. They were shaking violently above her head.

The distant roar of her heart working again at top speed made her gasp involuntarily. The tremors coming from the creature got worse. The eyes widened as they seemed to now focus solely on her. It had gotten so close that she could make out its dark red irises. It bellowed again, a sound Hinata could only imagine came from nightmares.

Something grabbed her collar and jerked her back.

She gasped and turned around to find the redhead and Naruto in front of her, both boys grabbing a wrist and dragging her forward and away from the thing that came ever closer, destroying their only means of light like a rolling blackout.

Hinata forced her body to move. She forced her legs to stop shaking like that. She forced her heart to stop beating like a rabbit's.

She finally matched pace with Gaara and Naruto whose breathing she could hear clearly despite their masks. The roar came again and a shudder made her entire being tremble, or maybe it was the tremors getting more violent.

Gaara gripped her wrist again and jerked her to side, into another street with Naruto diving after them. He let go and Hinata forced her eyes to look at his red hair, to look at Naruto's blonde hair, anywhere but behind her into that thing's eyes where _she couldn't move_.

She heard its claws skitter on the ground and then a loud muffled thump before she heard rotten wooden crates fall to the ground. It let out a snarl. Hinata still didn't dare to look behind her to see if it had indeed fallen. The light around them was dwindling, all the red lamps behind them had been demolished by whatever it was, and the once bright neon signs were dimming slowly.

The sound of shoes hitting the pavement was almost comforting. They were all still here. They were still together. They were still alive.

The roar behind them sounded quite far away, but Gaara and Naruto didn't stop. So, naturally Hinata didn't dare to either. Naruto turned a corner first and they came upon an abandoned school, windows broken and moss on the concrete. He jogged to a slow stop and put his hands on his knees, panting desperately for breath. Gaara stopped beside her and breathed heavily as well. Hinata sat on the steps and placed her forehead on her knees, gasping for air.

Hinata stared at the ground silently, barely hearing anything else over her gasps. _A demon…A demon was just now chasing us! And when it looked at me…when it looked at me…I couldn't move. I would have…I'd be…_

Dancing bright red eyes entered her mind and she scrunched into a little ball.

She withheld the whimper that lingered in her throat. "Gaara, I think we need to rest for a while."

There was silence before a sigh muffled by a mask. "Fine."

Hinata looked up to see Naruto walking up the stairs, passing her and nudging her with his hand gently. "C'mon Hinata. We'll stay in here for a bit until we get our breath, and to make sure that _it_ isn't following us anymore."

Hinata felt guilty that they were doing this for her benefit, mostly, but nonetheless complied. She could still barely breathe.

She got up and noticed that both boys were waiting patiently for her, Naruto a few steps ahead of her and Gaara still at the bottom, looking both ways down the street that suddenly seemed too quiet. She bowed her head a little and walked with them, clicking her flashlight on once more, three different beams of light directed at the school doors that Naruto tried to open.

"Che, it's stuck." Naruto backed up at aligned his body with the door before forcing his weight against it in a ram. The door he tried to force open groaned but didn't give. Naruto backed up again and rammed against it once more with his shoulder. The door groaned and gave way in a violent way, coming off its rusted hinges entirely.

Naruto and the door fell into the hallway. "Ah! Naruto!" Hinata rushed forward and went to help the blond boy to his feet.

Behind them, Gaara turned to face the street, looking either way of the street to make sure nothing had heard their loud break in. "Moron."

Naruto dusted himself off, "Shut up, I didn't see you trying to help me, stingy bastard."

Gaara snorted, "Trying to help you alert our presence to everything?"

Naruto crossed his arms and began to rant at Gaara, but Hinata didn't hear it. She shined her flashlight in the darkness, checking for any moving figures, dancing shadows or bright red eyes that wouldn't let her move of her own free will. Walking down the hall slowly, so as to not lose the boys, she was hit by something.

It went up her nose and she could smell it. She breathed in deep. It smelled of food. It smelled delicious. Unconsciously, her stomach growled as a reminder that out of her nervous stomach earlier, she had refused any dinner back at her house. Licking her lips, she looked back to see they were still arguing, but decided not to stop them – they wouldn't listen to her anyway.

She wouldn't go far.

That in mind, Hinata crept closer to the smell – rice, pork, fish. Wandering a little bit, she came across a small cafeteria. She blinked in confusion when she saw none of the food she had smelled earlier laid out. Opening the cafeteria door a little more, she stepped in and shined her flashlight in corners and the tables that were grimy looking.

She jumped when the cafeteria doors closed loudly behind her. Turning immediately, she wrapped her fingers around the door handles to try and fling them open. A bright white flash blinded her momentarily and she fell back from the doors, placing her arms over her eyes.

She could smell the food again, scents invading her nose.

Turning Hinata saw all of it. Platters of sushi, rice balls, glazed pork dishes and grilled salmon and tuna greeted her. Donburi was laid out; beef strips with onion over rice, fatty tuna and spring onions over rice – even deep fried cutlet pork with a raw egg cracked over it all. Three different tea pots emanated different aromas all of which she knew only since she came from a privileged family. One had hints of citrus and berries – tamaryokucha, another had a softer scent from it but high class in it; it was gyokuro and the last had a sweeter scent from the rest; matcha.

Hinata felt her mouth water. Gripping the edge of her mask, she moved it to the top of her head to get a better look at it all.

Still, she strayed herself from reaching out to eagerly gobble down the feast she saw set before her. _What is this kind of food…doing in a place like this?_

Her feet betrayed her first. They walked slowly to the table where it was all set – the steam from both the food and tea make her drowsy, hazy and something else Hinata couldn't place at first. Her fingers went limp and the flashlight dropped with a loud clack. Her stomach growled loudly, though logic still fought.

_Eating that kind of food – who knows what's wrong with it? Why can't I stop? Why isn't my body listening? _

The aromas were drugging her, Hinata realized vaguely, though logic seemed to drift farther and farther away from her. The scent of donburi, tempura and cooked rice made her stomach growl louder.

Hinata swallowed heavily. She really, really should stop. She needed to stop it now.

Her hand reached for a cup of poured tea. _Is this matcha or gyokuro_?

Looking into the cup, she saw her eyes staring back at her so blankly. Her fingers let go of the cup and it went crashing to the ground, splattering light green liquid all over.

Her other hand went for a rice ball, though her eyes strayed to a white paper stuck to a supporting pole in the cafeteria.

**Eat what you want. This is a feast set for you. Be aware though, that whatever you eat, drink or break must be paid back in equal token**.

Several drawings of demons were at the bottom of the page, each holding something that was within the feast – an ape looking one holding a tea pot and cup, a birdlike one holding up a tray of baked fish and another final one with wicked boar tusks curling from a gaping mouth holding a large platter of a whole pig.

_No! Do not put this in your mouth Hinata! _Hinata placed the rice ball back with a shaky hand, head still spinning. The food was suspicious enough, but to ask for something of equal token? If she'd drunk that cup of tea, or eaten that rice ball, who knew what would be considered of equal value in this city of demons? What would have happened if she'd eaten it? She'd need to warn the boys of this -

"You're not gonna try it Hinata?"

Hinata gasped and turned around to face a solemn tanuki and a grinning fox. "N-Naruto! Gaara," she held a hand to her beating heart, before remembering the food. "Naruto, Gaara, don't eat any of this food it"-

"What's wrong with it? Doesn't it smell good?" Naruto's voice was soft, and beckoning.

Hinata blinked. "You don't understand, it's bad!"

"You didn't even try it, how do you know?" Naruto argued softly back, still holding his bat.

"You don't like it?" Gaara's voice filtered in and questioned her.

Hinata cast her gaze between the two of them; the food was probably getting to them too. She opened her mouth to try and ward them from the deceitful food that still wafted around her, but was cut off by a crash from upstairs that rocked the lights over them. The lights swung frighteningly.

All three of the kids looked up simultaneously and Hinata knew they'd have to run soon.

"Hinata, let's go!" Naruto called to her and Hinata looked over at him and nodded.

Naruto and Gaara looked over at each, silently communicating. Naruto turned back to her, "Hinata your nose…it's bleeding."

"Huh?" Hinata lifted a hand to check. Something slick and wet came from her upper lip and below her nostrils. She pulled her hand back to observe her blood; red and bright in the lights. She blinked. _What? I hadn't noticed it earlier_…

Naruto took a napkin off the table and handed it to her. "Here, Hinata."

"Thank you Naruto," she proceeded to wipe the blood from her nose and lip. Tossing the soiled napkin into a rubbish bin, she reached up for her mask. Hinata made a sound of confusion when her fingers trailed over a texture that didn't belong on her mask. _Is it…?_

Hinata pulled off her mask, ignoring the looks both Gaara and Naruto gave her. She stared at the sorrowful face and saw a large crack running across the left side of the chin to the right side of the forehead. _It's cracked?_ _When did it crack?_

She ran her fingers over the crack, before remembering what the flyer had stated. Whatever you eat, drink or break must be paid back in equal token. _Does that mean_… Hinata turned around to look at the broken teacup, expensive green tea spilled all over. _The teacup…?_

"Hinata! Come on, we've gotta get moving!" Naruto barked at her and she jumped before nodding, slipping her mask on and following the boys out of the doors of the cafeteria.

The scent of the food never left them until they were out in the open again, where stale air greeted them from freshly cooked food.

None of them mentioned anything that happened within the cafeteria and continued to walk down the street, where the neon signs were now glowing brightly enough without the need for flashlights.

…

…

"Sasuke-kun! Wait for me!" Sasuke didn't stop but he did slow for Ino and Sakura. Both had dawdled behind him, clinging to each other and whimpering at every sound. Sasuke didn't like them much, but he wasn't cruel enough to leave them all alone in the city of demons without any protection like that.

Both platinum blonde and pink haired girl clung to each of his arms, quivering in their twin masks. Sasuke noticed that the lights were getting brighter and he found it odd, since this was no longer the gate or the entrance point. The lights weren't supposed to be getting brighter. Sasuke looked around them with narrow eyes and he noticed the girls had suddenly gone quiet. He didn't know whether to be thankful for the silence or unnerved.

_Creak_.

Sasuke stiffened and spun around slowly, not enough to draw attention. Nothing. Bright neon lights flickered, lanterns swung ominously though there was no wind and nothing more than the girls' breathing on either side of him.

_Creak-creak-creak-creak_.

Sakura tensed and dug her fingernails into Sasuke's bicep. Ino fidgeted beside him and hid part of her face behind his shoulder. The noise itself, in such a place as this, was unsettling, but the fact of what was causing it was worse. Sasuke's fierce Raijin mask turned to the side and he shrugged the girls off of him, looking around for something to use as a weapon. Bricks, concrete chunks, broken glass pieces, twisted barbed wire…

It winked at him from the light, in the shadow of a dilapidated building. A rusty machete leaned against a rotting stand, still standing up against a stack of tin roofing.

_Creak-creak-creak-creak-creak-creak_.

Where the machete was, the sound was coming from its general direction. Sasuke breathed out and cracked his knuckles. Pocketknives would only work so well against a real live demon. He needed that machete. He bent his knees and leant forward, keeping his breathing as steady as it would be, breathing through his nose and out his mouth.

_Creak_.

Sasuke made a break for the machete.

His shoes crunched over the debris and he jumped over the stand to the machete, knocking away the tin roofing at the same time. His fingers wrapped around the worn handle, feeling its aged grime and slime.

_Creak-creak. _

Sasuke turned to face two red eyes and the tips of what could only be fangs curling out of the shadows of the alley across him. He tensed and clenched his hand on the machete, ignoring the startled gasps of the girls who were urging him away.

_Creak…creak…creak…creak…creak_…

Sasuke listened carefully to the repetitive sound; it sounded like a toy being wound up by its key. His other hand reached up to grab the bottom of the machete's handle to hold it more firmly, in front of him.

The screech of a cat resounded through the area and caused several of the neon lights to pop and snap. Sasuke winced and covered his ears.

The screech came again. "Sasuke-kun!" he heard Ino and Sakura yell simultaneously from the side. Sasuke moved around the stand and over to them while the screech remained in the air like nails against chalkboard. More lights popped and self destructed around them. Sasuke's eyes widened visibly even through the eyeholes of his red dragon mask. "Sakura, Ino we" –

A low growl came from the alleyway. In the dark, two red eyes stared at them; jewel cut and slanted slyly. The growl carried through and the soft, ghostly pad of most definite feline paws followed it. In the stale air, Sasuke could smell the rot of vegetables and stagnant water coming from the demon before them.

The eyes seemed to lower, getting closer to the ground and Sasuke immediately jerked back, forcing Ino and Sakura back as they were both hiding behind him. The catlike creature continued to growl softly, its twin red eyes staring at them madly. The sound of concrete and other debris materials being shifted under those claws was bloodcurdling.

It stopped growling and let out a puff of air.

It had been getting ready to pounce. The trio realized this a moment too late.

…

…

Kiba sighed loudly. Shino withheld his own sigh and looked over at his companion baring the red child demon mask. "Ne, Shino. Why'd we agree to come here in the first place?" Kiba sounded confused and Shino cursed Kiba's short attention span.

"Because Naruto had made a speech about friendship and then won over nearly everyone else," Shino concluded, recalling the blonde's vehement protests that they should help Hinata find her little sister. He cursed Kiba for throwing stones at his bedroom window until Shino woke, then dragged him out and provided a matching green mask for him. Being his best friend was trying at times.

"Che…moron has to drag everyone along for the ride unwillingly."

Behind his mask, Shino's brows lifted. "You have no right to accuse him for that."

"Huh? Is this like that time you tried to psychoanalyze me?"

"…That was reverse psychology Kiba."

"Whatever…I'm just not falling for it." Kiba yawned loudly and stretched his arms over his head. He looked over into an alley suspiciously. "Keep watch." He squirmed oddly and Shino looked over at him warily.

Shino looked over at Kiba. "Why?"

"I gotta take a piss like a racehorse, that's why." Kiba hopped into the alley, leaving his friend alone under the green and purple flickering neon signs.

"So vulgar."

Honestly, this had to be the most unwise action Shino had ever taken in his life and he was more than just regretting it. Coming into the city of demons; the Abandoned City had not been a safe decision. While yes, he did feel for Hinata losing her sibling to the demons, there was a slim, slim chance that they would leave here alive, or at all.

If an entire city could disappear overnight, then what about ten kids? How fast could they disappear? Time was not a factor, nor was splitting up in small groups or couples. Shino was not one for superstition, but his mother who had once gone to the Abandoned City had told him about it only once. He could remember with utmost clarity the haunted look in her eyes, the way she trembled.

She spoke most of their eyes, their screams and noises. They are no mere bumps in the night.

Shino looked up at the moon, high above and saw no stars. There was only a pale white globe hanging in the blank, black sky. If the moon wasn't careful, it could fall into the blackness, and never return.

To Shino's left, a neon light sputtered noisily and caused him to flinch at the sound. He looked over at it and noticed it kept hissing, light fluttering. He blinked slowly at the looming shadow that danced over the light behind him. It registered slowly, the hulking, strutting shadow that crept closer ever so slowly. It clicked in his mind so suddenly, and then the white noise was drowned out by the sound of urine hitting the alley wall, what could have been many tap shoes hitting the cracked pavement and crunching over bits of broken concrete with some sort of slow and odd pattern.

Shino turned, managing to yell out once he turned, "Kiba!"

It stood before him. So close that Shino could see the furrow of its odd brows set in such a look that it appeared to be a large mask. It breathed perfectly calmly. White puffs came up like steam from a kettle.

Eyes yellow as the sun glared at him in the darkness that had swamped the dim place so quickly. He heard a crate break and knew Kiba was behind him. He didn't say anything and Shino almost jumped when he felt something against his back. It was Kiba's back.

Then there was one in front of Kiba as well. The one before Shino exhaled loudly, huffing and pawing at the ground before shaking its beastly enormous head like a horse. There was a crack that cut through the silence like a knife and another set of eyes atop the demon before Shino opened, a dark brown that looked so melancholic human in this place it hurt. Shino could see the outline of a smaller one atop the giant creature, holding a whip in its hand, could see its teeth, little teeth like a child's.

It was smiling at him. The fox face it bore smiled at him without flinching, showing bright teeth proudly. The face almost looked like a mask, could have been a mask, should have been a mask under the unnatural and cruel parody of tricky smile, but it wasn't. The white fur was ruffled, curving and real. The black outline of the lips was shiny with saliva. The teeth were solid and bone. The eyes of the fox blinked at him.

The whip cracked again and the creature lumbered forth, swaying and strutting its mass towards him.

Shino could hear the telltale creak of a wagon behind him, but didn't dare look. Kiba pressed against his back, tensing and he held the crowbar he'd earlier claimed. Shino had his knife.

The beast shifted and groaned. It placed its weight behind it on its hindquarters and leaned forward as a dog would. The creak of wagon wheels stopped.

The fox's unholy and forever traumatizing grin split its face even wider before it threw its head back and laughed shrilly. The high pitched noise hurt his ears and behind him, Shino heard a laugh, creaking like wood splintering.

The lights sputtered with loud protest, hissing and spitting angrily before a final _sput. _

The street went dark.

…

…

_Crunch, crunch, crunch…_

Shikamaru listened to his friend chow down on a bag of salted potato chips. Red lanterns above them were dim, but comforting because the darkness didn't full swallow them whole. He'd been dragged into this whole mess because he'd been too lazy to protest when Naruto and Gaara, in the flesh, dragged him and Chouji out of their homes in masks.

"Hey, Shikamaru," Chouji started. Shikamaru rolled his neck lazily to look over at his friend, his arms behind his head.

"Yeah?"

"You think we'll find them? The missing kids, I mean." Chouji chomped on some more potato snacks but Shikamaru thought of a suitable answer.

"Maybe, I dunno." Shikamaru lied through his teeth – they wouldn't find them. They had been spirited away – demoned away and they would never be found again, regardless of who went after them. Shikamaru had also come along partially willingly because of a false hope that had opened up. He knew the truth though. He wasn't a genius for nothing, after all.

Those missing kids wouldn't be found, just like this entire city had never been found again. They too, would vanish inside these city walls without warning. The demons would take them too.

Chouji continued to indulge himself in his snack, while Shikamaru peered discreetly in the shops and alleys. There was no telling where a demon would decide to slither out from. Creep up on them and snatch them away like a child.

Shikamaru spotted something before them and came to an immediate stop, Chouji following his friend in the abruptness. "Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru was silent, staring down the street where a small figure; as tall as a child should be at age nine. Shikamaru tensed and went completely, deathly still, Chouji stopped his snacking immediately when he caught on and gulped once.

The figure stood in the light of the red lanterns, small and almost unintimidating.

Laughter rang out then, tinkling and feminine. It bounced off the walls of the alleyways and rang clearly, with clarity Shikamaru could tell it was human, but in this place…nothing should be so human sounding. The laughter continued until it reached a point of being hysterical and high pitched.

The figure walked closer, still laughing and stopped only when it was a couple yards from them. Beneath the red light, Shikamaru saw its face. It had the face of a cat – black white patterning with light, light eyes. Its mouth opened in a wider laugh.

Beside Shikamaru and Chouji the shop lights came to life, yellows and whites coming on. The shops looked new on their insides now – boxed toys and shining airplanes, a hardware and tool store with brand new wares and a food store with stacks of canned food and bottles of fresh milk.

Both boys were temporarily overwhelmed by the sudden intensity of light in such a dark and dim city. Their eyes shut themselves and Chouji dropped his nearly empty bag of chips on the ground.

The laughter became louder, hysteria now so clear and chilling – it raised the hairs on the backs of their necks up.

It cut off suddenly and a voice called out to them. "How long do you think you can run?"

Shikamaru lowered the arm in front of his eyes slowly. He didn't say anything, but observed this person…thing…demon before them silently.

"Because all of us can run for a veeeery long time." Behind the demon, eyes opened like light diskettes, small and big as marbles. Blinking in different momentums and all of them were so bright. Distinct meowing and growling sounds came out from behind her, all in some strange orchestra drawn sound.

"Shi-Shikamaru?" Chouji asked fearfully, his eyes on all those cats' eyes; yellows and reds and greens.

Shikamaru adjusted his mask. "Let's see for how long."

Shikamaru turned and grabbed Chouji's collar, spinning him around and they began to run. Yowls filled up the street behind them, rising in volume and number. "Don't look behind you."

Chouji huffed and panted but nodded, trusting his best friend's word more than anything else.

A sudden louder yowl came out closer and Shikamaru looked to his side to see the figure climbing on the wall beside him, long nails digging into the crumbling concrete, a traditional festival garb becoming a flash and blur of black and white. The cat face looked at him, white eyes peering at him before lips pulled back to snarl at him.

Realization clicked in all too suddenly like white noise honing in. The demon launched itself at him like a cat pouncing. Shikamaru slowed for a moment before jumping to keep pace with Chouji who had pulled ahead because of the demon. He heard an angry yowl behind him and the small hairs on his arms stood up.

Shikamaru didn't look behind him to check to see if his theory was correct. He and Chouji turned corners and took out their flashlights while running, panting and frightened out of their wits.

Shikamaru was not mistaken, this, he knew.

-

Okay…I have no idea how many people will actually read this A/N but oh well. I WON'T be updating as much as I had been before. Since I'm also crossing my fingers to go to this awesome boarding school…, so please don't expect much because if you do…you shall be sorely disappointed.

Anyway, hope this update wasn't so much of an eyesore as it may be…review if you like, questions or concerns will be addressed as well as I can…


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